A study of the role of language input, interaction, and corrective feedback in second-language learning and Second Language Acquisition research

Bringing together current research, analysis, and discussion of the role of corrective feedback in second language teaching and learning, this volume bridges the gap between research and pedagogy by identifying principles of effective feedback strategies and how to use them successfully in classroom instruction. By synthesizing recent works on a range of related themes and topics in this area and integrating them into a single volume, it provides a valuable resource for researchers, graduate students, teachers, and teacher educators in various contexts who seek to enhance their skills and to further their understanding in this key area of second language education.

With clear guides and specific examples, this book makes methodology accessible to those working within L2 interaction and task research.

Twenty years after its first publication, Susan M. Gass’s Input, Interaction, and the Second Language Learner has become a classical text in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). This new printing includes the original text, along with a new preface that comprises individual consultations between the author and Alison Mackey, Rod Ellis, and Mike Long on the importance of the project two decades later. The volume provides an important view of the relationship between input, interaction, and SLA. In so doing, it should prove useful to those whose major concern is with the acquisition of a second or foreign language, as well as those who are primarily interested in these issues from a pedagogical perspective. The book does not explicate or advocate a particular teaching methodology, but does attempt to lay out some of the underpinnings of what is involved in interaction—what interaction is and what purpose it serves. Research in SLA is concerned with the knowledge that second language learners do and do not acquire, and how that knowledge comes about. This book ties these issues together from three perspectives: the input/interaction framework, information-processing, and learnability. This Routledge Linguistics Classic remains a key text for all SLA scholars and an essential supplementary volume for students on SLA courses.

This volume encompasses the range of research questions on language-related problems that arise in language teaching, learning and assessment. The [150] chapters are written by experts in the field who each offer their insights into current and future directions of research, and who suggest several highly relevant research questions. Topics include, but are not limited to: language skills teaching, language skills assessment and testing, measurement, feedback, discourse analysis, pragmatics, semantics, language learning through technology, CALL, MALL, ESP, EAP, ERPP, TBLT, materials development, genre analysis, needs analysis, corpus, content-based language teaching, language teaching and learning strategies, individual differences, research methods, classroom research, form-focused instruction, age effects, literacy, proficiency, and teacher education and teacher development. The book serves as a reference and offers inspiration to researchers and students in language education. An important skill in reviewing the research literature is following a study’s “plan of attack.” Broadly, this means that before accepting and acting upon the findings, one considers a) the research question (Is it clear and focused? Measurable?), b) the subjects examined, the methods deployed, and the measures chosen (Do they fit the study’s goal and have the potential to yield useful results?), and c) the analysis of the data (Do the data lead to the discussion presented? Has the author reasonably interpreted results to reach the conclusion?). Mohebbi and Coombe’s book, Research Questions in Language Education and Applied Linguistics: A Reference Guide, helps budding researchers take the first step and develop a solid research question. As the field of language education evolves, we need continual research to improve our instructional and assessment practices and our understanding of the learners’ language learning processes. This book with its remarkable 150 topics and 10 times the number of potential research questions provides a wealth of ideas that will help early career researchers conduct studies that move our field forward and grow our knowledge base. Deborah J. Short, Ph.D., Director, Academic Language Research & Training, Past President, TESOL International Association (2021-22) As a teacher in graduate programs in TESOL I frequently come across the frustration of students at centering their research interests on a particular topic and developing research questions which are worth pursuing so as to make a contribution to the field. This frustration stems from the fact that our field is so vast and interrelated, that it is often impossible to properly address all that interests them. Hence, I wholeheartedly welcome this most relevant and innovative addition to the research literature in the field of TESOL and Applied Linguistics. Coombe and Mohebbi have created a real tour de force that stands to inform budding researchers in the field for many years to come. Additionally, the cutting-edge depiction of the field and all it has to offer will no doubt update the research agendas of many seasoned researchers around the world. The 150 chapters are organized in a most powerful, yet, deceptively simple way offering a positioning within the topic, suggesting questions that might direct inquiry and offering a basic set of bibliographic tools to start the reader in the path towards research. What is more, the nine sections in which the chapters are organized leave no area of the field unexplored. Dr. Gabriel Díaz Maggioli, Academic Advisor, Institute of Education, Universidad ORT del Uruguay, President, IATEFL

This book explores second language (L2) learning, teaching and assessment from a comprehensible input (CI) perspective. This focus on the role of input is important for deepening our understanding of interactions between the learner, teacher and the environment as well as of the nature of the learning, teaching and assessment processes. The book takes a blended approach that promotes the intertwining of theory, research and practice in L2 pedagogy and assessment and aims to address the commonly used concept of CI and its role in L2 education. Content includes a comprehensive discussion of the conceptual foundation of CI; a multimodal and dynamic interpretation of CI from numerous perspectives; a critical discussion of well-known L2 acquisition theories and research; a practical examination of the role of multimodal forms of CI in L2 pedagogy; an analytical review of factors to be considered when modifying CI for pedagogical purposes in different settings and an overview of CI in L2 assessment. It will be of interest to students in the fields of L2 learning, teaching and assessment, teachers in second/foreign language settings and researchers of SLA and teacher education.

Cognitive Individual Differences in Second Language Processing and Acquisition contains 14 chapters that focus on the role of cognitive IDs in L2 learning and processing. The book brings together theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of cognitive IDs, as well as empirical studies that investigate the mediating role of cognitive IDs in various linguistic domains. Chapters include contributions from researchers working within second language acquisition (SLA), psycholinguistics, and cognitive psychology, sharing a common interest in the application of cognitive IDs to their respective areas of study. The interdisciplinary understanding of cognitive IDs presented in this book makes the book of interest to a wide readership of graduate students, faculty members, and academic researchers in the fields of SLA, psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and education.

This volume represents the first collection of empirical studies focusing on peer interaction for L2 learning. These studies aim to unveil the impact of mediating variables such as task type, mode of interaction, and social relationships on learners’ interactional behaviors and language development in this unique and pedagogically powerful learning context. To examine these issues, contributors employed quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs as well as cognitive, social, and sociocognitive theoretical frameworks. The majority of the studies are classroom based and were conducted in a rich array of settings covering five continents and encompassing a wide range of learner L1s and target languages. These settings include second and foreign language classrooms from primary to university level, content-based programs, online contexts, and after-school programs. To span the divide between research and practice, each study includes a section suggesting pedagogical implications.

"This collection in honor of Susan M. Gass focuses on interaction in second language acquisition from multiple perspectives. It includes contributions from many international experts in the field of SLA, providing new insights, explanations, discussion, and suggestions for further research. The goal of this collection is to provide an enriching discussion of how the interaction research tradition is viewed in a range of different approaches to learning and teaching second languages."--BOOK JACKET.

The book aims to dispel some of the myths surrounding the place of oral and written error correction in language education by providing an exhaustive and up-to-date account of issues involved in this area, taking the stance that the provision of corrective feedback constitutes an integral part of form-focused instruction. This account places an equal emphasis on the relevant theoretical claims, the most recent research findings and everyday pedagogical concerns, particularly as they apply to the teaching of additional languages in the foreign language setting. The book will be of relevance and significance not only to specialists in the field of second language acquisition, but also to graduate and doctoral students carrying out research in the area of form-focused instruction and error correction. Many parts of the volume will also be of considerable interest and utility to teachers of foreign languages at different educational levels.